£150k will give people a say on new homes
ROCHDALE will be receiving a £150k cash boost which will allow communities to have their say on where and what kind of new homes should be built.
The cash, from central government, will be given to councils in England to support new neighbourhood plans, which have been popular at the local level since it was introduced it in 2011, with nearly a million votes cast for neighbourhood plans and over 2,600 different communities coming forward with proposals.
Neighbourhood plans are led by community volunteers and parish councils, covering individual neighbourhoods and villages, and are supported by their local planning authority.
Communities across the North West are set to benefit from up to 13,000 new, better-designed homes thanks to an £870,000 cast boost, Housing Minister Rt Hon Esther McVey MP announced on January 14.
Ms McVey said: “Communities have the local insight to decide what new homes should look like and the kind of infrastructure they need in their area.
“This is what neighbourhood planning is all about, so I’m pleased this funding for councils in the North West will ensure that the right homes are built in the right places.
“I am also announcing extra cash to deliver new vibrant garden communities, which will help deliver tens of thousands of welldesigned new homes for hardworking families.”
The £150,000 funding allocation builds on the government’s commitment to giving communities a voice on the development in their areas, including prioritising local brownfield land while protecting the green belt.
A total of £6 million will be allocated nationally to help new locally-led garden towns and villages progress their plans to deliver up to 200,000 new homes.
The funding will support local authorities to deliver neighbourhood plans by providing advice and expertise to communities that want a neighbourhood plan, organising an independent examination of draft plans, hosting local referendums that give communities a final say on these plans and supporting communities who want to deliver new neighbourhood plans but have not been able to.
Four garden towns and villages already in the pipeline for the North West will also receive a share of £6 million to progress proposals, delivering up to 16,000 new homes.
The £720,000 million cash injection for these towns and villages will mean homes get built that otherwise would not.
This is because it will be used for preparing environmental assessments and using the latest design techniques to develop areas people will be proud to be a part of.